The final chapter of a rather shocking story of embezzlement within the Calgary legal community took place on September 9th, 2008. At that time, 36 year old Penny Marcy Myslichuk was sentenced to 42 months jail for misappropriating up to $1.4 million dollars from trust accounts at the prestigious law firm of Bennett Jones.

Myslichuk worked at Bennett Jones from April 2001to June 2006, and was a Paralegal within the Wills and Estates Department.

From at least January 2003 to 2005, Myslichuk developed an elaborate scheme to manipulate at least 11 different trust accounts from family trusts, dependant adults, and various wills and estates trust accounts. Some of the manipulations included forging cheque requisitions from the trust accounts to her own personal accounts. She was alleged to have stolen various bank statements, and blank cheques to eliminate reference to the stolen funds.

In 2005 alone, Myslichuk used misappropriated funds from Bennett Jones to purchase two separate houses, both in the Riverbend area of Calgary. As well, Myslichuk diverted thousands of dollars to her family, and in addition, she went on exotic cruises.

Shortly after the thefts were discovered, Bennett Jones hired another law firm to sue Myslichuk, and got judgment in the order of $843,000. Through civil enforcement, Bennett Jones got back about half of the money owed.

However, as of the day of sentencing, some $803,521 was still owed to the law firm.

Judge Frank Maloney described the situation as “[It] was a serious breach of trust over almost 3 ½ years, with numerous forgeries, destruction of records and falsehoods”.

Myslichuk’s ex-husband has custody of her three kids, while she serves her sentence.